The Tulane Science Scholars Program gives high school students the opportunity to take college-credit courses in the summer at Tulane before high school graduation. This year's summer program includes NINE 3-credit courses (with 3 NEW ones!!). More information can be found about each course and the schedule by clicking the course name.

** These courses are independent of each other, but are structured to complement each other.

These summer courses will be held on Tulane University's uptown campus. Each course is offered for three hours of Tulane credit (may be transferable to another university). Applications for the summer 2018 TSSP are now open! Apply Now!

The TSSP program is a residential program and students will have the option to live on campus in a dormitory for an additional fee. More details on housing can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Katie Russell

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

This summer session will introduce students to the basic concepts and calculations in the field of chemical engineering. Through lectures and readings, students will gain a strong understanding of chemical engineering fundamentals. Students will also work in small groups on labs designed to strengthen understanding and gain “hands-on” experience. Modern techniques and exposure to real-world applications will be emphasized. Lectures are by Tulane faculty, and Tulane faculty members and graduate students will supervise laboratory activities.

Students will:

Gain an understanding of introductory concepts of chemical engineering including common units of measurement, analytical instruments, equations of state, and material balances.

Learn how to model a simple process using Aspen HYSYS.

Experiment with multiphase equilibrium.

Explore common industrial separation processes and visit the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board.

Study the chemical engineer’s role in energy production and visit the Tulane Power Plant.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus on Monday July 9th through Friday July 20th, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have a break between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Anastasia Kurdia

Department of Computer Science

Scholarships sponsored by Presenting Sponsor, Capital One

This summer session is an introductory course on computer programming, in which the students design, implement, test and debug programs for computational problems using Python programming language. This course emphasizes program design process, object-oriented software development approach, and practical programming skills that translate to programming in other modern languages. Assignments include practical problems drawn from various fields (such as biology, linguistics, graphics, and games).

Computational tools are a critical part of our everyday lives. Software is the driving force behind cutting edge scientific discovery, blockbuster entertainment, and today's fast‐paced marketplace ‐ and will continue to become even more important. For instance, big tech companies such as Intel aspire to create technology that will enrich life of every person on earth, in the nearest decade. This course is an introduction to techniques and problem‐solving approaches that are used to develop some of these computational tools. Students will use Python programming language to learn basic programming principles, such as:

The emphasis will be on concepts that are applicable to programming in most programming languages, not just Python, and on solving problems from different application areas. Upon completion of this course, successful students will be able to design, implement and test computational solutions to problems:

Break a computational problem into manageable subproblems.

Write an algorithm to solve a specific problem, and then translate that algorithm into a program in Python.

Write clear, concise documentation for their code and develop tests to verify proper program operation.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus Monday July 23rd through Friday August 3rd, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between sessions. Sample calendar (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Dorothy Cheruiyot

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

This course is designed to introduce you to plants and how different plants and plant products have shaped human existence. We will explore plant history, plant domestication, and plant products through lecture, readings, discussions, and field trips.

By the end of this course, you will:

Understand the profound influence of plants on human life on earth as well as human cultures

Be familiar with some of the plants that have influenced human culture and their impact on civilization

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus Monday July 23rd through Friday August 3rd, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar for EBIO 1231 (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Department of Physics and Engineering Physics

Instructor: Dr. Timothy Schuler

Department of Physics and Engineering Physics

In this course students will be introduced to the software and tools used in modern rapid prototyping facilities. Students will learn the basic techniques of building their own prototypes using modern machines such as 3d printers and laser cutters, and incorporating electronics into their designs using programmable circuits. The course focuses on practical application and a “hands-on” lab approach to learning design software and creating working models using the tools of the Tulane MakerSpace.

Students will:

Learn the basics of modern design software including electronics, vector graphics, and 3-D CAD modeling.

Learn how to design for tools such as 3-D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines.

Learn to use modern rapid-prototyping machines to create working models.

Design and build their own projects.

This course is independent of ENGP 1015, but the courses are structured to complement each other.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus Monday July 9th through Friday July 20th, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar for ENGP 1005 (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Matthew Barrios

Department of Physics and Engineering Physics

This course will introduce students to the engineering design process. Through team projects geared toward creating physical solutions for real world problems, students will be challenged to begin thinking critically and apply physical fundamentals to complex systems. Daily lectures will highlight phases of the design process, including problem identification, conceptual design, and early prototyping. Additionally, students will gain experience with computer-aided design and be provided an introduction to rapid prototyping.

Students will:

Apply the design process methodlogy to the development of a solution to a "real-world" problem.

This course is independent of ENGP 1010, but the courses are structured to compliment each other.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus Monday July 23rd through Friday August 3rd, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar for ENGP 1005 (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Thomas Hebert

Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology

This summer session will focus on the field of Neuroscience, which is the study of the brain. Neuroscientists study everything from the electrical activity of individual brain cells to the behavior of animals and people. TSSP students will have the opportunity to learn from the same techniques and equipment that Tulane neuroscientists use in their own research. Lectures are by Tulane faculty and laboratory activities will be supervised by Tulane faculty members and graduate students. The activities will include the following:

PowerPoint college lecture presentations.

Learn basic brain anatomy by studying actual human brain specimens.

Learn how to test the effects of drugs on the behavior of rats.

Learn how to prepare brain tissue for study under a microscope.

Learn how to measure human brain waves.

Learn how to interpret data through statistical analysis.

Learn how to write in the style of science.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus on Monday July 9th through Friday July 20th, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Department of Physics and Engineering Physics

This summer session will focus on the field of Materials, which is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This two-week (ten-day) course is intended for high school students who wish to explore and stimulate their interest in the materials sciences and engineering. The course consists of rotations between six materials science research laboratories in the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics. Each rotation combines lectures with hands-on laboratory activities to excite and introduce students to contemporary methods and issues in superconductivity, optics and lasers, biomaterials, nanomaterials, nanotechnology, and energy harvesting materials and technologies. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating basic principles and hands-on student involvement. Laboratory activities will be supervised by Tulane faculty members and graduate students. Students will:

Explore how superconductivity is involved in real world applications, such as magnetic levitation, increased computer speed, and reduced energy consumption.

Be introduced to the unique properties of nanomaterials as well as the methods for nanofabrication.

Be introduced to contemporary methods of biomaterials engineering for disparate topics ranging from stem cells and regenerative medicine to cancer therapy.

Gain an understanding of how the laser works, explore the uniqueness of laser light, and understand how the laser light inspires important new methods in materials processing and studying matter.

Explore the interaction between materials and light for harvesting the sun’s energy.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus on Monday July 9th through Friday July 20th, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have a break between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Carrie Wyland

Department of Psychology

This summer session will focus on the field of Psychology, covering topics from the nervous system and the brain, to learning and memory, to disorders and treatment, to social psychology. It will involve both a lecture component as well as a hands-on laboratory component in which students will experience demonstrations and engage in activities to observe the concepts in action. For students who pass this course with a B or higher and choose to enroll at Tulane University, the Psychology Department will substitute this class for Introductory Psychology (PSYC 1000). Lectures are by Tulane faculty and laboratory activities will be supervised by Tulane faculty members and graduate students. The activities will include the following:

Learn to read, write, and think like a psychologist.

Learn how psychologists ask their research questions.

Examine real human brain specimens.

Understand why we sleep and what dreams are for.

See childhood development in action.

Understand why we get “tricked” by visual illusions.

Learn methods of stress reduction.

Understand how we treat psychological disorders.

Examine how prejudice plays out in the courtroom.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus on Monday July 9th through Friday July 20th, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar (from Summer 2017) can be found here.

Instructor: Dr. Richard Snow

Department of Music and School of Science and Engineering

This course is intended for young composers and students interested in exploring the use of computers in the creation of music. The course introduces an array of tools, techniques, and motivations associated with Contemporary Computer Music Composition. Students will gain familiarity with the Digital Music Studio and Audio Workstation environments as they prepare frequent short composition assignments. In addition, students will attend and discuss a daily concert presenting recent and historical works of Computer Music. The course culminates in an informal concert of the students' works presented in surround sound on an 8.2 channel system.

Compositional paradigms to be explored in the course include:

MIDI Arranging

Sampling and Audio Editing

Fixed Media Composition

Interactive Music Composition

Process Music

Algorithmic Composition

Sound Spatialization

Sonification Techniques

Computer Programming and Music Composition

The course also covers basic sound synthesis techniques including: FM synthesis, ring modulation, granular synthesis, additive and subtractive synthesis. Software used during the course includes Logic or Reaper, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Pure Data as well as many plug-ins.

This 2-week summer program will be held on Tulane University's campus on Monday July 23rd through Friday August 3rd, with lecture from 10:00-11:30am and laboratory from 1:00-3:30pm. Students will have time for lunch between lecture and lab sessions. Sample calendar (from Summer 2017) can be found here.